Berry Gordy, Jr. is a record producer and songwriter who founded Motown Records, the company that changed the face of American popular music.

“I’m a songwriter, that’s what I love.” – Berry Gordy

“I didn’t want to be a big record mogul and all that stuff. I just wanted to write songs and make people laugh.” – Berry Gordy

“Motown was about music for all people – white and black, blue and green, cops and the robbers. I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone.” – Berry Gordy

“I’ve discovered that Motown and Broadway have a lot in common – a family of wonderfully talented, passionate, hardworking young people, fiercely competitive but also full of love and appreciation for the work, for each other and for the people in the audience.” – Berry Gordy

“I have this ability to find this hidden talent in people that sometimes even they didn’t know they had.” – Berry Gordy

“Every day I watched how a bare metal frame, rolling down the line would come off the other end, a spanking brand new car. What a great idea! Maybe, I could do the same thing with my music. Create a place where a kid off the street could walk in one door, an unknown, go through a process, and come out another door, a star.” – Berry Gordy

“Today’s business climate is not for me.” – Berry Gordy

“Whenever I came up against presidents of other companies, I was always smarter, because I was from the streets.” – Berry Gordy

“Money had never been the main thing for me. It’s the legacy that was important.” – Berry Gordy

“All artists have runners, people that tell them what to do, business managers, lawyers, these – if they get the right ones, they’re lucky, and if they get the wrong ones, they’re unlucky.” – Berry Gordy

“Don’t judge yourself by others’ standards…have your own. And don’t get caught up into the trap of changing yourself to fit the world. The world has to change to fit you. And if you stick to your principles, values and morals long enough, it will.” – Berry Gordy

“There aren’t enough people who care about the future. They are too busy worrying about today and what they can grab now.” – Berry Gordy

“The whole purpose of writing a book is to be understood – if other people write about you, they try to guess why you did things, or they hear things from other people.” – Berry Gordy

“If I settle a case out of court, it’s because I love the person.” – Berry Gordy